"Prose is architecture, not interior decoration, and the Baroque is over." -Ernest Hemingway

Social networking

April 9, 2008 By 1 Comment

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how, for me at least, that recently I’ve really used the internet as a way of connecting with people. Now, I know that’s always been a great use of it, but what I mean is I’ve been connecting with and talking more to people I wouldn’t normally talk to in everyday life. It’s always been good for keeping in touch with people, but if it’s people you would normally keep in touch with, it just makes it easier. I specifically mean people that I’ve either re-connected with or just plain may have forgotten about.

I understand people do this all the time. I just have been more aware of it in myself lately and thinking about it. Part of it is that I’ve had a couple of conversations with people from an older generation about everyone’s fascination with knowing what everyone is doing all the time, or making sure people know what you are doing (i.e. Twitter, or Facebook status update). I admit I sometimes feel like I have to update my Facebook status. Not because everyone else is, but because it’s there. If I say “I’m working” and then I come home I’m not exactly working anymore, so I feel the need to update it. I know. It’s silly. But, that isn’t the point of this blog post.

Here are just some examples of how I’ve felt more connected to people or things recently:

Today, I needed some help coming up with gross food games for the teens tomorrow night (Fear Factor Food Night). I send a quick Facebook message to people I know work with kids or that might have some ideas. Within a couple of hours, I have plenty of ideas. Most of the responders were other Salvation Army youth workers (or former SA youth workers). I know them, but I wouldn’t call them up to ask them, or even really email them for that matter. I just posted a note and tagged them in it.

A girl I went to high school and college with, Melanie,  and I converse on Facebook or IM about stuff. Usually computer stuff. The other day, she needed help with WordPress, so we IM’d until she got what she needed to know. Before we connected on Facebook (or maybe MySpace first) I hadn’t talked to her in years, but we have common interests now, so it’s nice to know what’s going on in her life.

I have become a frequent reader of The Muckraker’s Blog. Rob does most of the posting. I’ve just recently got to where I’ll comment on things…usually baseball related. Rob is a baseball fan, so I usually comment on those post. The other day, he commented how he was jealous of my baseball trips I have planned this year. But anyway, his blogs are usually funny and light-hearted. Sometimes, even inspirational. It’s just cool for me because it helps me connect the music to who a person actually is, rather than a stranger.

I emailed a guy who runs a Church Tech blog to ask about a Computer workshop ministry they do at their church. I emailed him before on something, and read his blog, am connected on LinkedIn with, but obviously never met him. However, it was cool just being able to send a quick message and know that whether we know each other or not, it doesn’t really matter in the blog world.

So, I think I lost my point somewhere in there, but all to say, there is definitely a different level of connecting with people that I am at. Whether I do it a lot or just every now and then with a random person, I much more likely to do it than if I had to randomly email someone not through a social network, or heaven forbid, actually call someone. Now, if I could just transfer that over to real life….

I’m told this video explains the whole Twitter/Facebook status phenomenon pretty well…by someone who didn’t really get it to begin with.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o[/youtube]

Filed Under: My Life, Tech Tagged With: , , , , ,

Back Where I Come From

April 2, 2008 By Leave a Comment

A store in my hometown. Been there for as long as I can remember. Calvin was my US History teacher.

Part 1

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q9g6AexL4Y[/youtube]

Part 2

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqVo0DDWAhg[/youtube]

Filed Under: My Life Tagged With: , , , ,

168 Hour Film Project

April 2, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Going to this next weekend. Looks really cool.

Filed Under: My Life

It finally happened…

March 31, 2008 By 1 Comment

When I lived on the Fort in VISTA housing, when I first moved here, our place didn’t have carpet. It had like hard floors. Anyway, I’d always slide down the hall in my old worn out sandals. Sometimes socks, but the floor was kind of dirty, so usually sandals. My roommate Kris used to tell me I was going to fall and break my arm or something. I almost did a few times.

Where I live now, I have hardwood floors too. I like to slide down the hall thing here as well in my socks. Think Tom Cruise in Risky Business (except I wasn’t in a t-shirt and undies). Tonight, it finally happened. I broke my arm sliding down the hall. That’s what I get for forgetting that I’m almost 30.

Lucky for me, I had my cell phone in my jacket pocket and it was soon enough after work that the front gate was still unlocked. Alisha had to come and get me and take me to the hospital.

Typing one handed kinda sucks. Anyway, here’s the battle wound x-ray. Told you I’d blog about something other than basketball.

x-ray

Filed Under: My Life Tagged With: ,

Lights of Louisville

March 30, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I’ve been listening to this song non-stop for the past few days. The song is “Lights of Louisville” by The Muckrakers. The link is to their Myspace and the song is in their player. You should definitely check it out. As a side note, before I get into this post, you should also listen to “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters.” It may be in the player too.

So, “Lights of Louisville.” Well, Louisville isn’t exactly my favorite place in KY, but the song is great. Something about a song about Kentucky always gets me, but check out this part of it.

I gotta get out. Wanna get out. Won’t you help me get out? Gotta get out.

And you lose yourself, find who you are.
And you fight to breath. It shouldn’t be so hard.
And you lose yourself, when you’re all alone.
Let the lights of Louisville carry you home. Let the lights of Louisville carry you home.

I just like it. Don’t we all have our own “lights of Louisville” that take us home? I’m not sure what mine is. Lately it’s been the lights of Nashville as I’m flying back home. Or maybe the 90-Bypass, depending on if I’m heading to Monticello or Granny’s. But you know, as someone who has been away from “home” for over four years now I find it increasingly easy to lose yourself. I don’t think its a bad thing though. I’m not going to speculate what this song is about, but the part “when you lose yourself, find you who are” is true for me. I think I had to let go of myself, and get lost, to really find who I out who I am. It’s hard sometimes being out here all alone (alone as in, away from family and people I grew up with), but I can safely say that without this part of my life, I wouldn’t have ever found myself, and probably not ever really appreciated home.

There is a pretty good sense of ease that comes over me when I’m home. It’s like almost a sense of relief and calmness. In fact, this isn’t a new thing. I had a college friend (Kelli Giorgio) who used to tell me when she’d go to Monticello with me on the weekends that I was so much calmer, relaxed and nicer when I was there. Like there was no pressure. Sure, family can be pressure, but it wasn’t pressure put on me. I think it’s just that unconditional acceptance and love that you get there.

Looking at the spiritual side of that whole “finding home,” I am thinking right now that’s what Heaven is gonna be like. Hanging out at Nana’s house, climbing the mountain, and eating Granny’s mac and tomato juice. That is life my friends.

Anyway, this was about a song. Listen to it and The Muckrakers. Rob is a baseball fan, so you gotta like him for that, even if he is a Reds fan.

Filed Under: Faith, In The News, My Life, Pop Culture Tagged With: , ,

Bust A Move

March 29, 2008 By 2 Comments

I’m officially old and one of “those” adults. I was driving the teens home from a late movie last night around 11:30pm. I have one kid who lives out in Marina, which takes about 7-8 minutes to get there and the kids always want me to take her first so that they get to be home later. It works for me usually that way I’m not sure in the vehicle with one child all the way out there (Child Safety rules and all).

We’re driving down Hwy 1 back from Marina, listening to their crazy music and they are playing a bunch of old school songs mixed with new stuff like “Take My Breath Away” (not the Jessica Simpson version) and then they pull out “Bust-A-Move” which was pretty hilarious (come on, you all know that you know it still).

She’s dressed in yellow, she says “Hello,
Come sit next to me you fine fellow”
You run over there without a second to loose
And what comes next, hey bust a move

If you want it baby you’ve got it (repeat)
Just bust a move

Well, other than the chorus, that’s the part I know. So I did that “thing.” You know, the thing that adults do to try and be cool, act goofy, sing, make the kids laugh at us because we’re old and trying too hard. So, here’s the deal. I started singing, being goofy. It wasn’t to try and be cool or make the kids laugh, I was just being myself. It wouldn’t have matter who was in the car with me for the most part, I would have sang to make fun of the song. But to a kid, I’m sure it came across as the other way.

At any rate the kids laughed, but I also got that same look I used to give my parents or other adults. You know the look. It’s the, “wow, you are weird and old, but we’re laughing because you are embarrassing yourself,” look.

Ah, the life of a youth worker.

Filed Under: Faith, In The News, My Life, Pop Culture Tagged With: , , ,

Game Gear

March 27, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Okay, so I’m waiting for the WKU vs UCLA game to start. I say to Ross, “I better go put my WKU shirt and hat on, or else, if they lose, it’ll be my fault.” He said that didn’t help the Lady Toppers any, but I blame him for that since he refused to wave the extra red WKU towel I brought for him.

Does anyone else do that though? You think if you don’t do something, wear your game gear, that it will make the team lose. I know it doesn’t really affect it, and I wouldn’t ever call myself superstitious, but I think when it comes to sports, we all do a lot of things that we do that are borderline, like the routine things.

Filed Under: My Life, Sports Tagged With: , , ,

What is a Hilltopper?

March 27, 2008 By 2 Comments

Okay, I’m tired of this question both from people I know and on ESPN (last question there). I thought, since I am a Hilltopper, I could clear it up for you. Hilltoppers is what Western Kentucky University calls themselves. WKU sits atop a hill in Bowling Green, KY. It may be the highest land point in Bowling Green but I’m not sure. The sucky part about it, at least when I was there,  is that mostly all of the classes are at the top of the hill and all the dorms are at the bottom. Hence, WKU students climb (or “top” if you will) the hill everyday for classes. We are the Hilltoppers. There may be more to the story, but that is the basics of it.

Now, on to the more important matter.

What is this?

Big Red

This is Big Red, not a Hilltopper. I mean, sure, Big Red is a Hilltopper, but not all Hilltoppers are Big Red. So, what is a Big Red, you ask?

I guess you have to be a WKU student or alumni for it to really make sense and matter to you, but I’ll give it a shot. WKU’s motto is “The Spirit Makes the Master.” We’re big on spirit at WKU. The way it was explained to me was that Big Red is that Big Red Spirit that all of us Hilltoppers have. A big red blog of spirit. Another theory is that he’s a Big Red Hill. I personally go with the spirit one, but I can see how both works.

Any other Hilltopper alum want to jump in here, feel free.

Filed Under: My Life, Sports Tagged With: , , ,

Now What Do I Do?

March 5, 2008 By 1 Comment

I love this video clip below. I was thinking about it tonight when I was playing with Sam (my cat) and decided to search for it.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=KJJW7EF5aVk[/youtube]

I remember seeing it at some point in my youth and thought it was funny. I still think it’s funny, but tonight I was thinking about the things that we want, the things we spend all of our time chasing. I was playing with Sam tonight with one of those sticks with the elastic string attached. He always loves that, but he only loves it until he catches it a few times. After he catches it, he’s still interested in it, because he’s a cat, but he’s far less likely to jump or run around like a crazy cat. When he catches it though, I’m always disappointed because I expect this poignant moment, and that never happens. He chews on it for a second and then lets it go unless I keep tugging on it.

Don’t we do that too, though? We chase and chase after things and then once we get them, we’re like the coyote, “now what do I do?” I find that is true with me, especially if it’s not exactly what I thought it was. The coyote finally catches the roadrunner and it turns out the roadrunner is a lot bigger than he expected (or in this case, the coyote is a lot smaller than he wanted to be at that moment). I think I chase things just for the sake of chasing something. I save money for certain things. I work on a project. Sometimes, it’s a job or a relationship, and when you are there, you aren’t really sure why you spent so much time. I don’t know. Sometimes I think of that cartoon and it just reminds me to think about all the things that I am pursuing and if I actually know why I am chasing them and what I’m going to do when I get there, so I’m not stuck like the coyote with a little sign that says, “Now what do I do?”

Speaking of chasing things, I think I’m going to watch Chasing Amy tonight. I haven’t seen it in a while.

Filed Under: My Life Tagged With: , , ,

Gandhi or Dafur?

March 2, 2008 By 1 Comment

So, I’m trying to decide which documentary to watch next. One on Gandhi or on on Dafur. I got a couple days. Suggestions? I’m trying to educate myself and when I get new netflix, get 1 movie and 1 documentary. You know, so I know about history and stuff…heh.

Filed Under: My Life